National proposes 10-year prison terms for silence in child killings

Summarised by Centrist

Adults who refuse to provide information to police about the killing of a child under 12 could face up to 10 years in prison under a new law proposed by National.

Justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says the exception to the right to silence would apply where adults were clearly present at the time of a child's death or in the period leading up to it.

National says the change is needed because witnesses and potential offenders have withheld crucial information in child murder investigations, preventing police from identifying those responsible.

"The right to remain silent is a fundamental principle, however, it should not be absolute when a child has lost their life and, for example, there are only three people in the house, but no one is talking," Goldsmith said.

He argues the threat of prosecution would encourage perpetrators and accomplices to identify those responsible rather than risk imprisonment themselves.

National would work with legal experts to draft the proposed Crimes Act offence if re-elected, limiting it to exceptional circumstances involving the death of a child.

Editor's note: Goldsmith's example of three people in a house who will not reveal what happened closely mirrors the unsolved killing of Baby Ru in Lower Hutt in October 2023. 

Police confirmed three adults were present when the toddler suffered fatal injuries. All three provided accounts, but detectives said their explanations were incomplete and inconsistent with evidence, and none had accepted responsibility. Goldsmith did not explicitly identify the case.

Read more at Stuff

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